When you have bad allergies, it can seem like you are allergic to everything. Turns out, you might be! Or you might just be super paranoid. We don’t judge. But what we can do is offer a list of everyday objects or activities that could have you swelling up like ice in the Arctic. Check out some common things that might get you sniffling and sneezing.

Cell Phones
We’ve all heard the rumblings about the dangers of cell phone radiation. But it turns out, your actual cell phone might make you sick. As the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reports via Newsweek, the nickel in cell phones can lead to red, itchy skin.

Water
Yes, some people are allergic to the wet stuff. Aquagenic urticaria is a disorder that gives people hives, rashes and even blisters when they come in contact with water. It is an extremely rare, temporary condition.

Sex
Experiencing a burning, itching, or swelling in the genitals? You might be allergic to sex. Some women have an allergy to their significant other’s semen.

Exercise
This might just seem like a good excuse to skip the gym for most. For an unlucky (or lucky) few, it is because they suffer from exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Nausea and vomiting are just some of the symptoms associated with this disorder.

Soy
Soy is actually one of the most common food allergies in children, though some adults suffer from it. Symptoms include hives, swelling, wheezing, dizziness, and tingling in the mouth.

Condoms
Latex allergies come from the proteins found in natural rubber, from which latex is derived. And since some condoms are made with latex, this can lead to a (pause) sticky situation for some. Symptoms include redness and itching, but trouble breathing is also possible.

Sun
There are actually several different kinds of sun allergies. As The Mayo Clinic reports, these are “polymorphic light eruption (PMLE), actinic prurigo, chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) and solar urticaria.” Symptoms include hives, blisters, and painful rashes.

Chocolate
Yes, an unlucky few are actually allergic to chocolate. This is common in people who are already allergic to other food items such as milk, nuts and eggs.

iPod
Remember how cell phones can cause allergies? So can your iPod. It turns out that the nickel found in iPods can be just as irritating as some of your annoying neighbor’s musical choices.

Alcohol
Yes, that glass of wine might be giving you more than just a hangover. However, it is not the alcohol itself which causes the reactions, but often the sugar and fermentation process used in creating it. So next time you break out in hives, you might want to put the glass of wine down.

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Recently, I took a gander at the world of teen tanning when a “Teens determined to tan, no matter what” headline screamed at me from Msnbc.com. I learned that one in nine teenagers uses sunless tanning products. Cause for “yay, they’re out of the sun,” right? Nope, said teenagers are also using these products alongside tanning beds and bad sun burns.

And dermatologists are noticing. Some report seeing patients in their early 20s with skin more akin to what you get in your mid-30s. This includes the beginning of wrinkles and age spot. Age spots, also known as sun or liver spots, are flat black-brown spots that occur on areas of the skin most exposed to sun. They may be more noticeable on lighter-skinned folk, though all races have them. They like to show up on faces and hands and can also be the result of hormones and acne scarring.

The good news? Age spots are not cancerous. The bad news? If you don’t like them, they can be difficult to rid yourself of them. Some dermatologists use cryotherapy (freezing,) laser therapy, and topical creams. Sun spots are relatively preventable if you start young and are meticulous about wearing sunscreen. But – who was really good about slathering on sunscreen when we were ten years old splashing away in an outdoor swimming pool? If you’re raising your hand alongside me right now, odds are you may be dealing with them.

And yes, sun spots are all part of the natural process of aging. So embrace your age spots – and then, if you choose, send them on their merry way to oblivion. You can consult a dermatologist who will provide you with all sorts of medical options to restore your face to a more even tone – many of which ask you to turn into a chemical receptacle and fork over wheelbarrows full of cash. And so, we’ve already looked at cheaper, homemade remedies to fight dark spots. But this got us thinking – is there a natural product out there that does that trick?

Happily, there seems to be one that helps in La Isha’s Natural Age Spot Eraser ($45.00). La Isha skin care is based on clinical essential oil therapy, inspired when owner Sharon Gnatt Epel’s young son suffered severe chemical burns after a white water river expedition in Panama. (The river was filled with illegal toxic chemicals used by a nearby plantation.) Epel’s son was entirely healed by using medical-grade essentials oil, and she has used the experience to develop a complete line of skin care based on natural essential oils.

But does her Natural Age Spot Eraser work? After using a tiny sample of it for two weeks straight on my most nefarious age spot, I can report that said age spot is, in fact, lighter. Is it gone completely? No, though, to be fair, this product does claim to only gradually fade spots and discolorations. Further, we are instructed to allow a full 90 days for extra stubborn spots.

Containing organic essential oils like “Frankincense, German chamomile, Roman chamomile,” the smell rocks. It feels a bit like aromatherapy when I leave it on my face. And it does not contain hydroquinone or any other harsh artificial chemical-based lighteners. It is pricey at $45, but a little does goes a long way.

FTC Compliance

Image: Jason Anfinsen

Lately, I’ve come to think of the sun as a bad relationship. First we’re supposed to stay away from it for our own health. Then we think about jumping back in for short-term visits – just a few minutes a day can’t hurt, right? Next we start questioning our use of protection. And now, for some of us, new information reveals that we’re never able to really say goodbye. Yes, sun equals bad boyfriend!

Nonetheless, people are progressively tanning. Flip on MTV, and you’ve got the so-called Jersey Shore kids (aren’t they all well into their 20s?) sporting skin hues something akin to pumpkin orange. But it turns out that some over-zealous tanners just may not be able to help themselves. New evidence shows that tanning may be as addictive as any substance – and that the medical community is considering “tanning addiction” as a new diagnostic category.

For many of us, tanning addiction rings true. I had a friend in high school, let’s call her Jessica, who proudly sported a year-long tan. After a trip to the beach, she came back with a sun burn so bad she had to wrap her blistered forearms in gauze. Before the scabs were even healed, Jessica was laying out in her backyard hoping to turn her newly-pink skin back into a Hawaiian Tropic glow. Why? Because she felt like she “had” to be tanned.

Now it turns out Jessica’s need may have been beyond her control. As the New York Times reports, this year alone, 3.5 million people will be diagnosed with skin cancer. And it is not likely due to a lack of education about the dangers of UV exposure. A new study from the Skin Cancer Foundation Journal shows that “tanners also report mood enhancement, relaxation and socialization.” They also found that frequent tanners “showed signs of both physiological and psychological dependence.” In other words, some people react to tanning the ways addicts react to alcohol and drugs.

Dr. Richard F. Wagner Jr., a dermatologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, has worked on diagnosing tanning addiction. He modified a list of questions used to determine alcohol addiction in terms of tanning. These questions form an acronym called CAGE. As the NY Times reports, these questions are: Have you ever felt you needed to cut down on your tanning? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your tanning? Have you ever felt guilty about tanning? Have you ever felt you needed to tan first thing in the morning – as an eye opener? Answer yes to any of these questions, and you may have an addiction to tanning. Dr. Wagner further points out that the endorphins released from tanning are likely what causes people to over-bake. Other researchers have found evidence that frequent tanners react to “lack of tanning” much as addicts react to withdraw.

So will tanning soon be regarded as an addictive substance warranting regulation? Yes, if the medical community can make it so. What can the rest of us do? Spread the word of awareness – and keep our own skin tones from matching up with Halloween.

For further reading: When Tanning Turns into an Addiction

Image: psycherika

There are pesticides on our food, so we eat organic. There are chemicals in our products, so we buy eco-friendly. There is danger in the sun, so we wear sunscreen. But a new study from the Environmental Working Group shows that skin cancer may be on the rise, partially from the overuse of chemical-laden sunscreens. Now everyone say it with me – “We. Can’t. Win.”

So the real dangers of the sun may not be from overexpose, but from the sunscreen we’ve been told to slather on since childhood? One fact is indisputable – melanoma, cancer of the skin, is on the rise. As we just reported, some experts feel this is because of the overuse of tanning beds.

But now authorities from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) propose that the extensive presence of chemicals in sunscreen may be causing damage on the cellular levels. And that the false sense of security provided by sunscreen may also be complicating the matter. In other words, people put on one coating of sunscreen and then spend the day in the sun sporting around chemically-sunscreen and a false sense of security. (So yes, you can either use too much sunscreen or too little. Your pick!)

Here are the facts as recently reported. Common sunscreens contain cinnamates, benzophenones and amino benzoic acid, which counteract sunlight when it is absorbed by the skin, thus causing genetic-material to damage. It doesn’t stop there. The EWG points out that 60 percent of beach and sport sunscreens contain the hormone-disrupting oxybenzene chemical. Another 40 percent include retinyl palmitate, a type of vitamin A that “may accelerate skin cancer-growth.”

So where is the FDA in all this? As Columbia Doctors East Side dermatologist Dr. Monica Halem told reporters, the FDA is developing a four star rating system for sunscreens – that they have been working on since 1978. Yes, the FDA has been writing this report for 32 years.

According to Dr. Halem, “The FDA is still trying to implement this four star monitoring system and hopefully within the next year or two this will be out so that patients are aware that they’re not just being covered by UVB but they are also being covered by UVA.”

The take-away from all this? It seems that safe guidelines to sun are about as complicated as a Real Housewives of New Jersey’s bank account. (Garden State love!) So we will try to keep it simple. Stay out for ten minutes without sunscreen, but slather on once you’ve gotten your allotment of vitamin D.

Keep your sunscreens and sun blocks eco-friendly. Why? Because they do contain less chemicals that traditional brands. Click here for safer face sunscreens. And here for safer body sunscreens. In the meantime, can someone please come hold my hand while we wait for the next news to break about the dangers of beauty?

For further reading:
Study reveals sunscreen’s darker side.

Image: Tom Purves

Tell me if you relate. You’re outside frolicking in the sun (swimming, reading, secretly stalking your cute neighbor who pretends not to notice you walk by his house three times a day) and you think “Darn it, I should have brought a hat.” Sure, you’ve already carefully spackled your skin with all things SPF, but you forgot the hat. Maybe it was too hot, maybe it clashed with your outfit, or maybe you didn’t think you’d be so long in the sun. But now you’re cooking your scalp in the noon-time rays and you know it ain’t going to end up pretty.

Scalp sunburns are never pleasant to deal with. First, they hurt. Second, they flake off like dandruff. I’ve been able to actually peel my scalp, leading to a whole lot of grossed out friends and family members. You can treat a scalp sunburn with organic aloe vera, and some experts even advise against shampooing your hair while your scalp is burned. Harsh detergents can irritate it, so make sure you use a gentle organic product. (And here are some great ones to consider.)

But the best way to treat a scalp sunburn is to not allow it to happen in the first place. Yes, wear a hat. You can also simply slather sun block onto your exposed scalp – though this isn’t a favorite due to the excessive goop that can end up in your hair.

Or you can check out these products!

Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil

I Love This Product. Why? Because It Works. (Caps for emotion are necessary – recall that I have been able to peel said scalp.) For the sake of you, appreciated reader, I just spent four hours in the sun with no hat and exposed scalp. But before I embarked on this experience, I slathered my hair up with this product – and no burn! We’d never suggest our readers head out sans hat – but I can say that I’ve found a product that seems to protect your scalp, and presumably hair, from the sun’s rays.

It has a wonderfully citrus smell that is very appealing. It does leave a little bit of a residue – sort of like you haven’t washed your hair that day. This cruelty-free product comes in a container that is 100 percentpost consumer PET. It contains some organic ingredients, as well as shea butter, green tea extract, and Vitamin E.

Aveda Sun Care Hair and Body Cleanser

Aveda recommends this product for your post-beach shower. It is a “color-safe formula that gently and effectively removes chlorine, salt and product build-up, while helping to maintain moisture balance.” Like the hair veil, this product comes in a container that is 100 percent post consumer PET and contains some organic ingredients. I used it on my hair and really liked it. Sure, it wasn’t after a day at the beach, (I merely hadn’t washed my hair in a couple days,) but it has a terrific orangey smell and really does get your hair squeaky clean.

FTC Compliance

Image: kaibara87

Oh, sunscreen, the bane of my summer existence. For me it’s like using condoms: annoying and inconvenient, but by golly, it has to be done.

And unless you like your skin done up like chicken-fried steak, you’d better pay attention to sunscreens that work. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested over 1,600 different sunscreens and found that only about 5% of those had safe, non-toxic ingredients and actually protected your skin.

Almost half of the sunscreens tested contain oxybenzone, an endocrine disruptor that may actually contribute to skin cancer. Yikes. Again, check those labels and know what you’re putting on your skin!

I highly recommend perusing EWG’s detailed studies. The information is very accessible and you can enter your favorite brands to see how they rate.

Image: lanuiop

Wanna rub yourself down in hippo sweat? Well, me neither, but there is something fascinating about the aforementioned fluid: it may be synthesized and used as sunblock.

Hippos exude an oily secretion that contains light-scattering crystalline structures, and this is what keeps them from getting burned in the unrelenting African sun. Making use of nature’s knowledge in a science known as biomimicry, researchers are trying to figure out how to replicate this substance into a form appropriate for humans. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Just so long as this doesn’t implicate a future in bizarre sweaty hippo exploitation.

Image: The Lizard Queen